In 1997 the British bass Matthew Rose attended a masterclass in which the work being studied was Aufenthalt, one of the more emotionally turbulent of the 14 songs from Schubert’s posthumous collection Schwanengesang (Swan Song). So affected was he, Rose determined to become a professional singer. He is now among the most musically illuminating of the new generation of basses, alert and perceptive in performance, as his Winterreise (for the same label) has already shown. Again here, with the pianist Malcolm Martineau, with whom Rose first sang the cycle in 2004, he ensures clear textures, sensitivity to the words and a lightness and variety of touch. There’s a charming bonus track: Schubert’s comic Der Hochzeitsbraten, with Christina Gansch and Robert Murray.
